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Home court has never been more of an advantage for the Raptors

It was back in 2013 that Masai Ujiri threw it out there for public consumption and reaction, a challenge to the team’s fans and its players.

At a season-ticket-holder event in his second incarnation with the Raptors, then-general manager Ujiri wanted — demanded, in fact — that what was then known as the Air Canada Centre become a “living hell” for NBA opponents, an impenetrable fortress that all but guaranteed victory for his Raptors in his grand plan to mould a championship team out of one that was far from that.

“We have to make this place a living hell … to come and play here,” he said from a stage set at centre court. “If you’re coming to play here at 1 o’clock on Sunday, you’re getting your (butt) kicked.”

For the most part that’s what happened. The Raptors do ride the emotion and support of consistent sellout audiences to far more victories than losses.

And they’ve never been hotter at home than they are today.

Wednesday’s 126-98 rout of the New York Knicks was the Raptors’ eighth straight home win to start the 2019-20 season, a record for the 25-year-old franchise.

Now to be fair, the dominant roster Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster have fashioned has more to do with the team’s success than the building in which the team plays, but the atmosphere adds to it. Sellouts of at least 19,800 are the norm, the energy is palpable in big games against opponents, and the players do feed off it — even if they publicly downplay it.

“We’re just trying to win every single game,” Pascal Siakam said. “Obviously it’s good we haven’t lost at home, but that’s not our focus.”

In their 2018-19 championship season, the Raptors had the best home record of any team in the league, going 32-9 at Scotiabank Arena. At 8-0 this year they are one of only four teams unbeaten at home: Philadelphia was 8-0, Boston and Miami 7-0 going into Friday games. It was a key part of Toronto’s 13-4 start before Friday night’s game in Orlando.

One of the major factors is that the Raptors don’t take playing in comfortable surroundings for granted. Teams have been known to coast a bit at home, hoping the mere fact that they are on their own court will somehow help. If there’s one underlying trait to this roster — and last year’s, and the two or three before that — it’s that it plays hard every night. That doesn’t guarantee victory, but it plays a part.

“We show up to work every night,” Fred VanVleet said. “You show up to work every night — play your butt off on the defensive end, and you rebound and you go out and have confidence on the offensive end — you have a chance to win every night. That’s all it takes in this league. Go out and play hard.”

Toronto’s home success has included a record-setting shellacking of the teams they see most often.

The win over New York on Wednesday was their 33rd straight at home against Atlantic Division foes, each of which they play twice a season. The last time they were beaten by an Atlantic team in Toronto was Nov. 10, 2015 when the Knicks — behind 25 points from Carmelo Anthony, and with starting point guard Jose Calderon chipping in eight — edged the Raptors 111-109.

Since then, nothing but wins on home court — even with the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers emerging as conference powers and the Brooklyn Nets becoming a playoff team.

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Since the NBA adopted a division format in 1971, the Golden State Warriors (Oct, 30, 2013 to April 12, 2017) and Utah Jazz (Nov. 15, 1996 to April 12, 1999) had 32-game division winning streaks, which Toronto eclipsed Wednesday.

“We are a talented team and Raptors have been a top team for the last few years. So when you are a top team in your division and in your conference, and you show up to work and play hard, you have a chance most nights and I think that’s one thing we have done a good job of,” VanVleet said.

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